


To Try Again

by TheArtificer



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28252689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheArtificer/pseuds/TheArtificer
Summary: A Christmas miracle has occurred, Talon has fallen at the hands of the new Overwatch. Most of the world rejoiced. But far away in the mountains, two old men limped away together from the battle.
Relationships: Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26
Collections: Reaper76 Free For All Secret Santa 2020





	To Try Again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [siriuslyyellow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriuslyyellow/gifts).



Far from civilization, out of even the view of satellites, there was a cabin. It sat, perched in the mountains, under the boughs of a huge spruce tree. It had been there, silent, and alone, for years.

On the path leading up to the cabin, two men were climbing, leaned up against each other. Both had obviously taken some damage, but they were walking upright, and without too much difficulty. Anyone who’d so much as looked at the news recently would know them. After all, both of their masks had featured heavily on several most wanted lists. Reaper, and Soldier 76.

“Do you think it’s still there?” Reaper’s voice broke the silence that had been encompassing the mountain peak.

There was a low grunt and then Soldier simply shrugged, he had no way of knowing, “I haven’t been back in years, your guess is as good as mine.”

“You didn’t have to bring me here, you know that, right Jack?” Reaper’s voice was almost soft, “No one would have blamed you if you’d just pulled the trigger.”

There was a long pause, nothing but the crunch of snow, and silence, until finally Soldier sighed, “I would have.”

“Jack,” Reaper stopped moving and pulled away, “I’m not the man I used to be. He’s dead. Long dead.”

“My grave is right next to yours,” Soldier’s voice rumbled and he leaned against a tree for support, “Jack Morrison died at Zürich too.”

“And whose fault was that,” The words were mumbled under Reaper’s breath, but still managed to sound bitter as all hell.

Soldier just shrugged at the comment and reached out one arm, “I can’t climb on my own, you shot me in the knee remember.”

“I should leave you to freeze on the mountain,” Reaper turned to look the rest of the way up.

“No one would blame you,” Soldier echoed Reaper’s own words and rubbed one hand through his hair. It was true at this point. The new Overwatch had long ago disavowed him and his methods, no one would even mourn him this time.

There was an aggravated sigh and then Reaper was reaching out to haul Soldier with him, “Hurry up then, it’s freezing out here.”

The rest of the trek was carried out in silence, until coming to the door of a thankfully still functional cabin. Decades prior one Jack Morrison had bought the property for himself and Gabriel Reyes, but they had never found the time to vacation there.

“It’s cosy,” Reaper was tilting his head to the side in consideration, “It’ll do for now, although I doubt we can hide here forever.”

“So you’re planning to stay with me?” Soldier tried to clamp down on the way his heart leapt at the idea, decades of hurt and strife should not be forgotten so easily.

Reaper folded his arms over his chest, “Where else am I going to go now? Talon is dead. Besides, if I leave, you’re liable to bleed out in your sleep.”

Stepping through the door Soldier’s eyes drifted over the dusty surfaces, it would need a little work to be liveable, but it was sufficient for now, “And you don’t want me to bleed out in my sleep?”

“Dammit Jack,” Reaper turned on one heel, and Soldier could almost feel the glare that was surely behind that mask, “No, fuck ... no. I guess I don’t want you dead. For now anyways.”

“Just Soldier, Jack Morrison died remember,” Soldier grinned under his own mask and leaned heavily against the counter, “I think there’s a first aid kit above the fridge.”

Reaper hesitated in front of the kitchen and then reached up casually tossing his mask across the floor, “Jack and Gabe are still alive enough Morrison, we just became old bitter bastards. Besides, only using code names is ridiculous. Now stop moving around, or you’re going to tear your injuries open.”

Soldier … Jack’s breath was caught in his throat, he’d only seen the corner of Gabe’s chin, but it was enough. The man’s once warm skin was now more of a grey, and strange red smoke filled cracks lined the skin around his face. Jack had known that something had happened of course, but Ana had lacked the words to explain.

Gabe returned shortly and Jack could see the affliction had clearly spread all the way into the other man’s now entirely red eyes, sclera and all. Pausing as he reached the counter, Gabe scowled, “Take the mask off Jack, and stop staring.”

“Sorry,” Jack cleared his throat and reached for his own mask, “Still handsome you know?”

“Of course I am,” Gabe scoffed, although Jack could hear the lie that was hovering under the mocking tone, “Why, what did Ana say?”

“She said whatever happened to you had changed you,” Jack dropped his mask to the counter and sank onto a stool, “That there was something wrong with your face, she didn’t describe anything though.”

Gabe pulled open the first aid kit and shuffled through the components before pulling out a biotic injector buried at the bottom, “Think it’s still good?”

Jack just shrugged, “Worth a shot, not like it’ll hurt if it isn’t.”

Gabe nodded and moved closer, “It gets worse.”

“What?” Jack looked up from the injector in confusion.

“My face,” Gabe’s voice was soft, “It was worse when Ana saw it, it gets worse when I’m angry.”

“Oh,” Jack smirked, “So that means you’re not mad at me right now?”

Gabe’s eyes narrowed, “Don’t push it boy scout, now pull up your shirt.”

“You know, normally people take me out to dinner before they start trying to strip me,” Jack pulled his shirt up out of the way.

“Well then I’ve paid to strip you several times over Jackie,” Gabe almost seemed on the edge of a laugh before he jammed the injector into Jack’s side, and then pulled back as soon as it finished.

“Sorry,” Jack sighed, “I didn’t mean anything by it, I know you still have a lot of issues with me.”

“I’m not sure I get to have the moral high ground on shitty choices at this point Jack,” Gabe turned away and crossed his hands over his chest.

“Gabe,” Jack stood with a grunt, at least the injector was working, he could feel his wounds stitching back together as he moved, “You don’t exactly have the market cornered you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Gabe crossed the room and dropped onto an old dilapidated couch, “You think they’ll do better than we did?”

Jack sighed and followed the other man before sitting next to him, “The new Overwatch? I hope so. But I’m not optimistic.”

“And if they fuck it all up?” Gabe questioned.

“I’ll take them down too,” Jack muttered quietly, “Even if I’m not with them, I’m still responsible.”

Gabe let out a scoff, “Still taking on the whole world huh?”

“Would you help me?” Jack glanced over.

“Would you trust me to? I betrayed you Jack, or have you forgotten,” Gabe made an annoyed gesture.

“This time I won’t give you a reason to betray me,” Jack shrugged, “Or you can be in charge.”

Gabe raised one brow, “I was part of a terrorist organization three hours ago, and you’re what? Just gonna, Sir, yes Sir at me, because you still feel guilty? You might be responsible for Overwatch Jackie, but you’re not responsible for me.”

“Gabe, that’s not-” The sound of snow crunching outside had both men springing from the couch, Jack rolling across the room for his gun, while Gabe simply seemed to create his shotguns from smoke.

The door swung open, both men raised their weapons and, nothing. There was nothing in the doorway, but a small purple package, with a small card on top.

“Sombra?” Jack muttered, crossing the room to pick the package up, “Course she could find us.”

“You know Sombra?” Gabe hesitated and then slapped one hand to his forehead, “She was leaking info to you, that’s how you always knew which convoys were ours ... where and when to hit. Dammit.”

Jack grinned, “She is very good, although I do owe her more than one favour at this point.”

“Well, what’s it say?” Gabe sank back to the couch in a huff, arms folded again, Jack would almost call it pouting. Although not out loud obviously.

Opening the card, purple writing scrolled across the surface, “It says, Feliz Navidad, I got you a tree. Stay put for now and they won’t find you. You both owe me again.”

“Is it already December?” Gabe stood and stared at the package.

“Yeah, helluva time of year for Talon to fall,” Jack reached down and pulled the ribbon on the top of the box.

The box folded open in one smooth motion unveiling a small tree covered in decorations, and a metal tin labelled ‘hot chocolate’.

Bending down Gabe almost gingerly lifted the little tree to the counter, “I haven’t had one of these in…”

“Me neither,” Jack picked up the tin of hot chocolate.

The cabin was silent except for the wind outside, and soft tinkling of tree ornaments settling into place as Gabe arranged the tree on the counter.

“Well, how about you make hot chocolate and I’ll get the fire started?” Jack proposed holding the tin out.

Gabe looked up, eyes narrowed with suspicion, “What you think we’ll just settle in for Christmas with hot chocolate and a fire, you and me?”

Jack just shrugged, “What else do we have to do?”

There was a clunk as Gabe ripped the tin can from Jack’s fingers and slammed it onto the counter, “And what talk about the good old days? Before you failed me, and I turned on you? I’m not just going to act like everything is fine Jack.”

Jack sighed and stepped closer, “Gabe, I’m not saying we pretend anything, just move on.”

“Oh like it’s that easy?” Gabe snarled and stepped directly into Jack’s space, “Like I can just let go of everything? As if you can just ignore everything? We’ve spent years trying to kill each other. We almost killed each other today.”

“But we didn’t,” Jack held his hands up in surrender, “If you don’t want hot chocolate, don’t make any, but I’m going to go make a fire.”

“Jack,” Gabe’s voice had become exasperated now, “How the hell are you this calm?”

“Because…” Jack sighed, “Look, I thought you were dead for a long time Gabe, I thought, I’d never see you again, that we’d never be able to sort out our shit, that I’d never get to apologize for failing you. For not being better. And yeah when I first found out you were alive, and with Talon, I was pissed. But once I got over that, I was just glad you weren’t dead.”

Gabe’s eyes were wide and after a moment’s hesitation Jack felt the other man’s finger come up to grip onto the lapels of his jacket, “We have a lot to work through, too much maybe.”

“Won’t know if we don’t try,” Jack settled his hand against Gabe’s shoulder, “And I don’t want to lose you again, without trying.”

There was a moment of uncertainty, hesitation, and Gabe seemed almost like he might run, but then the man was surging forward, lips meeting Jack’s own and fingers pulling him closer.

Jack met this movement just fiercely, trying to pour every ounce of longing he’d felt over the years into his part of things. Fingers moving to run over the strange red lines and re-learn the feel of Gabe’s skin.

Later, Jack wouldn’t be able to recollect exactly how they’d wound up sprawled across the couch just touching, kissing, and unravelling each other. It was too perfect an experience to ever be recalled properly.

But what Jack did know was that lying there, with Gabe tracing his fingers over new scars; he hadn’t felt so safe or warm in decades.

Finally the actual temperature of the cabin began to settle into Jack’s bones and he couldn’t quite help the shiver. Gabe rested his chin against Jack’s stomach, “Cold?”

Jack reached down and drew Gabe’s mouth back up to his own, “Not that cold.”

Gabe pulled away after a moment and smirked, “Guess you better go make that fire farm boy.”

“Are you actually going to go make hot chocolate?” Jack asked with an amused matching smirk of his own.

“Guess you’ll just have to hope I do,” Gabe stretched languidly, then mid stretch turned into smoke which streaked off towards the kitchen.

Jack shook his head at that, and then pulled the blanket off the back of the couch to cover himself. He was glad there was firewood already inside the cabin as the idea of going out in the cold now, was not at all appealing.

As the fire sparked to life footsteps at the door drew Jack’s attention, Gabe stood still naked, holding two steaming mugs, “Better share that blanket.”

Jack was a little too taken with the view to speak, and it took a moment for him to even remember to nod his head.

“So,” Gabe settled on the couch and held out a mug as Jack settled the blanket over both of them, “What do we do after this, if the new Overwatch doesn’t screw up that is?”

Jack took a sip of the rich hot chocolate and sighed contentedly, “Could settle down, buy a farm, or an apartment some place?”

There was a loud snort at that and Jack turned to view Gabe’s very amused expression, “You and me, are just going to settle down? Please. You don’t have that in you anymore than I do.”

“That might be true,” Jack nodded a little sheepishly, “Well, there are still plenty of dangerous organizations out there that hide behind laws. You and I both know a legitimate Overwatch will never be able to touch them.”

Gabe chuckled, “What, we start our own independent Blackwatch? With what funding farm boy?”

“I have some contacts still, and I bet you do too,” Jack shrugged, “And less Blackwatch, more, two independent vigilantes removing the real problems.”

Gabe put his feet up on the coffee table with a considering expression on his face, “We’ll give it a go. Decide everything together, complete transparency. No running off on our own.”

“And this?” Jack asked fingers entwining with Gabe’s like the other man might vanish before his eyes, “Was this a one time thing or ...?”

“Jackie,” Gabe was shaking his head and Jack withdrew.

“Sorry I shouldn’t push,” Jack folded in on himself, it was too much to ask for really.

“No, no,” Gabe reached out and pulled Jack’s arm back towards himself, “That’s not. Fuck Jack. That isn’t what I meant. You and me, we still have a lot to work through, but I want to try. Get back to us, or better than what we were back then; before everything went to shit.”

A little flicker of hope surged to life in Jack’s chest, “You’re sure?”

“I don’t know how this is gonna go, but you’re right, I don’t want to regret not trying,” Gabe’s expression was soft, sincere.

“I missed you,” Jack admitted, fingers coming up to brush an errant strand of hair out of Gabe’s eyes, “I think I’ve been missing you for a long time now.”

Gabe grinned, “Well then farm boy, you think you might have another round in you tonight?”

Jack laughed, “Not sure, but I can definitely try.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully this fulfils what you were looking for, you said angst was okay if there was a happy ending, and my brain really latched onto the "finally reuniting" and the "old lovers tucked away in a cabin" portions of your request.


End file.
